Major Forest Fires in Northern Minnesota Prompt State Emergency Declaration
Read About the Thousands of Acres Burning in Minnesota...
Three large forest fires were burning in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota as the Memorial Day weekend approached. Fortunately, some weather conditions that had caused the fires to spread, particularly high winds, had diminished as the holiday weekend approached.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency on Tuesday to enable fire containment resources to be redirected to the effort to control the St. Louis County blazes.
The largest of the fires, Jenkins Creek, which threatened 16,700 acres, was only 6% contained as of Tuesday night.
The Camp House fire, impacting 12,000 acres, was 73% contained on Wednesday.
The 1,260-acre Munger Shaw fire was almost entirely extinguished as of Tuesday.
Winds of up to 25 mph had spread the forest. Fortunately, cooler and less windy weather is predicted through the weekend.